She turns for a moment. "I can't promise that. But I can promise that if he stays with you, he will die."

Irena Sendler is 97 years old. She has seen this image in her dreams countless times over the years, heard the children's cries as they were pulled from their mothers' grasp; each time it is another mother screaming behind her. To the children, she seemed a merciless captor; in truth, she was the agent to save their lives.

Mrs. Sendler, code name "Jolanta," smuggled 2,500 children out of the Warsaw Ghetto during the last three months before its liquidation. She found a home for each child. Each was given a new name and a new identity as a Christian. Others were saving Jewish children, too, but many of those children were saved only in body; tragically, they disappeared from the Jewish people. Irena did all she could to ensure that "her children" would have a future as part of their own people.

She listed the names of every rescued child and buried the lists in a jar, hoping that the children could be reunited with their families after the war.

Mrs. Sendler listed the name and new identity of every rescued child on thin cigarette papers or tissue paper. She hid the list in glass jars and buried them under an apple tree in her friend's backyard. Her hope was to reunite the children with their families after the war. Indeed, though most of their parents perished in the Warsaw Ghetto or in Treblinka, those children who had surviving relatives were returned to them after the war.

Yet Irena Sendler sees herself as anything but a heroine. "I only did what was normal. I could have done more," she says. "This regret will follow me to my death."

Breaking the Silence

Though she received the Yad Vashem medal for the Righteous Among the Nations in 1965, Irena Sendler's story was virtually unknown. But in 1999 the silence was broken by some unlikely candidates: four Protestant high-school girls in rural Kansas. The girls were looking for a subject for the Kansas State National History Day competition. Their teacher, Norm Conard, gave them a short paragraph about Mrs. Sendler, from a 1994 U.S. News & World Report story, "The Other Schindlers." Mr. Conard thought the figures were mistaken. After all, no one had ever heard of this woman; Schindler, who was so famous, had rescued 1,000 Jews. 250 children seemed more likely than 2,500.

Conard encouraged the girls to investigate and unearth the true story. With his help, the girls began to reconstruct the life of this courageous woman. Searching for her burial records, they discovered, to their surprise, that she was still alive, ninety years old and living in Warsaw. The girls compiled many details of Mrs. Sendler's life, which they eventually made into a short play, "Life in a Jar." The play has since been performed hundreds of times in the United States, Canada, and Poland, and has been broadcast over radio and television, publicizing the silent heroine to the world.

Learning to Swim

Irena Sendler was born in 1910 in Otwock, some 15 miles southeast of Warsaw. Her father, a physician and one of the first Polish Socialists, raised her to respect and love people regardless of their ethnicity or social status. Many of his patients were poor Jews. When a typhus epidemic broke out in 1917, he was the only doctor who stayed in the area. He contracted the disease. His dying words to seven-year-old Irena were, "If you see someone drowning, you must jump in and try to save them, even if you don't know how to swim."

Even before the war, Irena had strong loyalties towards Jews. In the 1930s, at Warsaw University, she stood up for her Jewish friends. Jews were forced to sit separately from "Aryan" students. One day, Irena went to sit on the Jewish side of the room. When the teacher told her to move, she answered, "I'm Jewish today." She was expelled immediately. (Decades later, under Communist rule, she was considered a subversive; her son and daughter were refused entry into Warsaw University.)

In fall of 1939, Germany invaded Poland and began its campaign of mass destruction. Many Poles were quick to side with the Nazis. Although Jews had never been accepted by the Polish masses, many of them had fought alongside their Polish countrymen during the few days before the country was overrun. Now these loyalties meant nothing.

Mrs. Sendler was a senior administrator in the Warsaw Social Welfare Department, which was in charge of soup kitchens, located in every district of the city. They distributed meals and gave financial assistance and other services to the poor, elderly, and orphans. From 1939–1942, she was involved in acquiring forged documents, registering many Jews under Christian names so they could receive these services; she listed them all as typhus and tuberculosis victims, to avoid any investigations.

It wasn't enough. Irena joined the Zegota, the Council for Aid to Jews, organized by the Polish underground resistance, operating out of London with the help of many British Jews. Obtaining a pass from the Warsaw Epidemic Control Department to enter the Warsaw Ghetto, she smuggled in food, medicine, and clothing.

Irena decided that the most that could be done was to try to save the children.

Over 450,000 Jews had been forced into the small 16-block area that was the Warsaw Ghetto; 5,000 were dying each month. Irena felt that her efforts were helping only to prolong the suffering, but doing nothing to save lives. She decided that the most that could be done was to try to save the children. "When the war started, all of Poland was drowning in a sea of blood. But most of all, it affected the Jewish nation. And within that nation, it was the children who suffered most. That's why we needed to give our hearts to them," Sendler said on ABC News.

Breaking Through the Walls

In 1942, Mrs. Sendler, "Jolanta," was put in charge of the Children's Division of Zegota. She and her team of twenty-five organized to smuggle out as many children as possible from the Ghetto. Ten members were to smuggle children out, ten were in charge of finding families to take the children, and five were in charge of obtaining false documents.

The hardest part was convincing parents to part with their children. Even the many secular Jewish parents shrank from the thought of surrendering their children into Catholic homes or convents, where they might be baptized or taught Christian prayers. Many chose to die with their children instead. Irena, herself a young mother, found it almost impossibly painful to have to persuade parents to part with their children, entrusting them to a non-Jewish stranger. The only thing that gave her strength to withstand this pain was the knowledge that there was no other hope for survival. Sometimes, she would finally convince the parents, only to be met with the grandparents' adamant refusal. She would be forced to leave empty-handed, returning the next day to find that the entire family had been sent to Treblinka.

Many in the Ghetto thought that Treblinka was a relocation settlement. Actually, it was even worse than Auschwitz, which was a labor camp/death camp. Treblinka, on the other hand, contained little more than gas chambers and ovens. Fighting against time, "Jolanta," entered the Ghetto several times a day, wearing on her arm a yellow Star of David to show her solidarity, desperately trying to convince parents to let her take their children. Many parents would ask her why they should trust her. "You shouldn't trust me," she would agree. "But there's nothing else you can do."

The second biggest challenge was finding Polish families. The penalty of death to every family found harboring a Jew was not always enforced, but some 700 people were killed because of it. Many of the children had to be hidden in orphanages and convents. Jolanta would write to them that she had bags of old clothes to donate; among the old clothes she would hide a child.

Then there was the smuggling of the children out of the Ghetto. Small children were sedated to keep them from crying, then hidden inside sacks, boxes, body bags, or coffins. Older children who could pretend to be ill were taken out in ambulances. Many were smuggled through sewers or underground tunnels, or taken through an old courthouse or church next to the Ghetto.

Outside the Ghetto walls, the children were given false names and documents. Mrs. Sendler claims that no one ever refused to take a child from her. But children often had to be relocated several times. She recalls carrying a little boy from one guardian family to the next, as he sobbed, "How many mothers can a person have? This is my third!"

The smuggling did not always go as planned. Fourteen-year-old Renada Zajdman was smuggled out, but then became separated from her rescuer. She survived on her own in warehouses for several months, until she was reconnected with members of Zegota.

She stresses that the goal was not to convert people to Catholicism, but rather to save lives.

The Church was actively involved in much of Mrs. Sendler's work. However, she stresses that the goal was not to convert people to Catholicism, but rather to save lives. Each family had to promise to return the children to any surviving family members after the war. Unfortunately, this promise was not always kept. Mrs. Sendler spent years after the war, with the help of her lists, trying to track down missing children and reconnect family members.

Of the remaining orphans, some 400 were taken to Israel with Adolph Berman, a leader in Zegota. Many others chose to stay with their adopted parents. Despite Mrs. Sendler's efforts to trace them, some 400 to 500 children are still missing; presumably they either did not survive or they are living somewhere in Poland or elsewhere, perhaps unaware of their Jewish identity.

Discovered!

For two years, Jolanta's covert operations were successful. Then, in October 20, 1943, the Gestapo caught up with her. She was arrested, imprisoned in Warsaw's notorious Pawiak prison, and tortured. Her feet and legs were broken. She still needs crutches and a wheelchair as a result of those injuries, and still carries the scars of those beatings. She refused to betray any of her co-conspirators or to reveal the whereabouts of any of the children.

Jolanta was sentenced to death by firing squad, a sentence that she accepted with pride. But unbeknown to her, Zegota had bribed one of the German guards, who helped her to escape at the last moment. He recorded her name on the list of those who had been executed. On the following day, the Germans loudly proclaimed the news of her death. She saw posters all over the city reporting it. The Gestapo eventually found out what had happened; they sent the guard to fight on the Russian front, a sentence they felt was worse than death. Irena spent the rest of the war in hiding much like the children she had saved. Relentlessly pursued by the Gestapo, she continued her rescue efforts in any way she could, but by then the Warsaw Ghetto had been liquidated.

Due to the Communist regime's suppression of history and its anti-Semitism, few Poles were aware of Zegota's work, despite the unveiling of a plaque honoring the organization, in 1995, near the former Warsaw Ghetto. Mrs. Sendler continued her life, simply and quietly, continuing to work as a social worker ... until the discovery by the Kansas teenagers catapulted her into the public arena.

Irena Sendler was awarded the Order of White Eagle, Poland's highest distinction, in Warsaw, in 2003. This year, she was nominated to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. At a special session in Poland's upper house of Parliament, President Lech Kaczynski announced the unanimous resolution to honor Mrs. Sendler for rescuing "the most defenseless victims of the Nazi ideology: the Jewish children." He referred to her as a "great heroine who can be justly named for the Nobel Peace Prize. She deserves great respect from our whole nation."

Today's Warsaw still bears testimony to Mrs. Sendler's lifesaving work. The corner store where children were hidden in the basement and the apple tree where the names of the children where buried still stand, all within sight of the German army barracks. Although the children had known her only as Jolanta, as her story became publicized, she began to receive calls from people who recognized her face from the photos: "I remember your face! You took me out of the Ghetto!"

In an interview earlier this year with ABC News, Mrs. Sendler voiced some of her frustrations about how little anything has changed in the world: "After the Second World War it seemed that humanity understood something, and that nothing like that would happen again," Sendler said. "Humanity has understood nothing. Religious, tribal, national wars continue. The world continues to be in a sea of blood." But she added, "The world can be better, if there's love, tolerance, and humility."

Irena Sendler died on May 12, 2008. In April 2009 her story was aired in a television film, "The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler."

Featured at Aish.com:

About the Author

A native New Yorker, Gavriel Horan left the city right after high school to travel the world in search of spirituality. His journey took him to over a dozen countries where he backpacked, hitchhiked, and worked on farms while studying Native American Shamanism, Eastern Religions, and Islamic Mysticism. He eventually found his way to Israel in 2000 and discovered that Judaism was what he was searching for all along! In Israel he met his wife Rachel, originally from New Jersey. They lived in the Holy Land for eight years, where Rabbi Horan learned and taught Torah while working as a journalist and marketing writer. The Horans recently moved back to New York with their three children to join the team at Aish Albany.

The opinions expressed in the comment section are the personal views of the commenters. Comments are moderated, so please keep it civil.

Visitor Comments: 152

(148)
Ohad,
June 19, 2015 5:54 PM

She who saves oen life saves the world entire

A true hero. A brave woman who acted selflessly and with the knowledge that she could die as a result of her actions. May her soul rest in peace for all eternity. She is truly a light unto the nations.

(147)
Amber R.,
August 19, 2013 3:36 AM

amazing.

This is one of the most beautiful, touching, magnificent stories of courage I have ever read. With evil and despair, and the threat of her own death everywhere she turned, she could have easily done nothing. Instead, she very much gave her life for the innocent children. I have recently discovered that much of my family is Jewish (russian and hungarian jew), and I have been playing 'catch up' to try to figure out where I really came from. God Bless this beautiful woman.

(146)
R. Davids,
July 18, 2013 2:16 PM

A woman who understood better than most the cost of a child

What happened to her children? Are they all going strong? Does anyone know if they honored her?

Lee,
April 27, 2014 6:20 PM

I think they always knew who saved them ! She is a beautiful person ;)

(145)
john s,
March 18, 2013 10:27 AM

My soul has been touched.

I only came across this story by chance,my brother in law shared it on my Facebook.I am totally blown away by the story of Irena Sendler...My gratitude is immense,I kneel with humility and I am humbled by her acts.If we try and imagine if we can the super human feats of bravery and courage carried out by this Lady, truly phenomenal and must have been sent by God.To be honest words are not enough to thank this dearly departed soul,I am certain she is in paradise were she belongs,with her soft and gentle face being warmed by the love that radiates from all the children she saved...As a non Jewish person am I allowed to say she is of course a truly righteous person and may God bless her for all eternity...In a world of darkness and evil,we need heroes such as this lady to salvage our humanity and to offer us hope for the future..I will share your story and thank you for this well written article,I was compelled to leave a comment.

Ann,
March 18, 2013 11:41 PM

Wow,,,,

I, too, came across this because someone posted a little blurb about Irena on facebook...and all I could say was wow...I needed to find out more...what a remarkable woman!

(144)
Partha Sarathi Ray,
July 24, 2012 9:05 PM

I have always seen God in people as god has no other place except the heart to stand as statue.Mrs Irena Sendler had crushed Adolf Hitler and Nazi to dust with her angelic effort to rescue 2500 Jewish children, I scream in my dream as a dying jew in the gas chamber and the angel lady Mrs Irena Sendler rests in my heart as an Almighty. RIP to Mrs Irena Sendler.

(143)
Tammie Afasene,
May 24, 2012 4:33 AM

Irena Sendler is very strong and a courageous lady who saved 2,500 Jewish Little children. I want to be a life changer and be like the most powerful Irena Sendler. I thank her for all she has done and participated to save the jewish kids.Last year when I watched the movie Courageous Heart, my heart was filled with joy, because I never knew someone like her would be a great and almighty leader. God Bless her family and friends. !!!

(142)
L. Russell,
May 13, 2012 7:10 AM

Irena, the Saint of Children Living

Such a woman!! Her Father must have looked down upon her with pride.She saved lives not by swimming but by risking her life and their's by saving 2500 lives.
It amazes me that global warming and ACORN (?) were considered more noble than her quest.
Her belief in mankind as a Catholic shows pure love that she would save Jewish children at that time.
Her picture shows a wonderful smile of a woman who the Nazi's were unable to quelch her spirit of human kindness.

(141)
jewish viewpoint,
April 18, 2012 1:18 AM

if you read the records of the crusaids youll see that people would kill their children rather than them becoming a christian jewish law demands one to give up their life rather then kiss the cross if hundreds upon hundreds of yiddishe children became chriachin (wich is wors then death)becuase of her i dont think thats a merit but as the sages teach us a sin dosnt cancel out a merit kol hakavod for the jews who she saived lichaim!

Anonymous,
April 9, 2013 3:42 AM

saved but not baptized

I read she did not intend to convert anyone and she those who risked their own families lives to save these children would return them to Jewish relatives later. I think God knows her heart was pure. God is bigger than man's ability to understand.

(140)
Anonymous,
March 26, 2012 6:37 AM

Heart touching story

Irena Sandler, a wonderful heart touching story, not many word's to even express what God achieved through this brave women. Amazing example. Praise God for such people of God.

(139)
Catherine Sales,
March 10, 2012 9:35 PM

Have just seen Irena life strory on New Zealand TV

What an incredibly brave person Irena was - I had never heard of her until I saw the film "The Corageous Heart of Irena Sendler"

(138)
Sonia Sutton,
March 7, 2012 11:24 PM

A lady who would never have known such courage!

I am overcome by this, then, young lady's courage. May all the families to whom their lives are owed, thank God for such a courage lady. AND, may the world thank God for people such as her! RIP to a true DIAMOND!

(137)
Scott,
February 28, 2012 2:33 AM

Thank you

(136)
Cheri,
February 17, 2012 10:39 PM

This touched my soul ! L'Chaim

(135)
kasen rice,
February 3, 2012 6:43 PM

thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(134)
HT,
January 11, 2012 7:33 PM

thank u

(133)
kathy,
December 29, 2011 2:15 PM

women at their best

what an inspiring story of a woman's courage in a truly horrendous climate. womens history is slow to come to the history books, but as always, has such an impact !!!!! unsung heroes all of them..

(132)
Brittane Phelps,
December 11, 2011 9:35 PM

I just saw the movie today and i will always remember what Irena did. Everyone must see that movie!

(131)
Faith,
October 11, 2011 8:57 AM

Movie about Irena Sendler, released in 2010

My husband and I just watched The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler (2010). Well worth watching.

(130)
Yair Saar,
October 1, 2011 8:16 AM

how can I have the childs names list

May be one of my cousins survived (Brener/Huberman)Thank You
Yair

(129)
ballet,
August 21, 2011 5:26 AM

amazing how brave she is

I nwas looking for something interesting to state in my speech when i saw this site. Ica'nt beleive how brave you are, my mum and I are amazed!!!

(128)
LeAva Thomas,
August 7, 2011 2:16 PM

Mercy Angel

There is no greater love then to sacrifice oneself for another. Truley an amazing women of God. This story reminds us that there is something amazing and eternal in the gift she gave these children and there future generations to come. What an inspiration to live by.

(127)
Mbb33,
May 4, 2011 8:33 PM

this story makes me cry. but the Couragous Heart of Irena Sendler makes my ball my eyes out! BEST MOVIE & STORY EVER!

(126)
Anonymous,
March 29, 2011 11:34 PM

What an amazing human being.

I'm Jewish and it was nice to read about something positive done during this horrible time in History. I was born in 1940 and was five when the war ended. It's unfortunate that people can't respect other people's differences. Today we are still fighting intolerance.

Anonymous,
June 13, 2011 7:55 PM

Wow

(125)
Anonymous,
March 24, 2011 4:11 PM

I can't belive it!!

When I found out that she saved 2,500 kids. I was very impressed. I'm doing a report on her!!!(:

(124)
Sally Rogow,
December 19, 2010 6:47 PM

Wonderful summary.

Heroes like Irene Sendler should be honored and remembered. Thank you for your wonderful article.

(123)
Anonymous,
October 26, 2010 1:37 AM

Not entirely accurate

I would like bring to readers and the author attention a couple of sentences in this article that are not entirely true, a bit unfair and based on incorrect information, and therefore misleading and painting false picture of Polish people during German occupation (1939-1945). The author should have done better historical research before claiming that "Many Poles were quick to side with the Nazis. " and before stating that "The penalty of death to every family found harboring a Jew was not always enforced, but some 700 people were killed because of it. " Based on thorough historical data there were at least 50, 000 Poles who were killed because they were one way or the other Jews during the occupation of Poland. And yes, death penalty was carried out in 99% cases and it affected not only family members, but usually the whole neighbourhood as well. (I can tell many horrific stories that my mother and her family experienced while Germans were searching for Jewish man hidden in one of the neighbouring apartments. Also, my beloved godmother has been rescued from the Warsaw Ghetto as a baby - only we KNOW what her foster mother (my aunt) had to go through risking lives of her own children to save little Jewish girl.) I can provide data and sources to prove my point. Please be more careful and do more research when writing about such horrific and very touchy subject.

(122)
Gadnercat,
May 5, 2010 6:16 PM

Guardian Angel of so many children...

I'm a teacher who is preparing a didactic unit about heroes and superheroes, and I'm going to include her. I want my children to know about this wonderful woman. I wish the whole world would learn from her this loving lesson. Of course she is a righteous among nations...

(121)
Anonymous,
March 29, 2010 5:16 PM

wow she risked her freedom and life to save those children

im am having to do a essay on her and she is very intersesting how she risked her life and liberty

(120)
Anonymous,
February 5, 2010 12:34 AM

she was a brave women to do that i am proud for her.

i am proud she risked her life for thoes kids i want to say i am so proud for her...

(119)
Peter P.,
December 14, 2009 10:49 PM

“Whoever Saves One Life,. Saves The World Entire.”

Recognized by Yad Vashem as one of the Righteous among the Nations, Irena epitomized compassion, love, kindness and sacrifice. Moreover, whenever she was bestowed with an honour or recognition for her spectacularly noble efforts and accomplishments, she expressed genuine humility and modesty, even so far as remorse, in believing she could have saved more children if she had tried to. In all of human history, one would struggle to find a heroine of such magnitude, who emodied such gentleness and modesty. Irena shone like an angel in the terrible, tragic darkness of the Holocaust.

(118)
Irene,
December 7, 2009 4:00 AM

Irena should of won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 not Al Gore....

Dear Al Gore: Your over exaggerated, untrue, plageristic global warming theories that won you the nobel peace prize have been determined a sham by the scientific community....Relinquish that 2007 prize medal and give it to your runner-up, Irena. She deserved it more. Get honest with your integrity and morals and give the honor where it's due. This would then make you a "real" hero in my eyes. Donating that million dollar prize money to a Polish, Warsaw orphanage would also be a very commendable action. I think an extreme injustice has taken place here.
"Too much is given, much is expected." God knows your heart...I hope your pride doesnt hold you back from doing the right thing...

(117)
,
September 26, 2009 10:49 PM

what an angel

god bless this beautiful person,she helped so many children.

(116)
anna karadisj,
July 20, 2009 4:09 PM

A brave and humble lady

Irena's father must have been a wonderful person to instill in her to love and respect our our fellow man especially the jewish people .
This had an impact on her and drove her to do whatever she should to help .Let this be an example for us all. to love one another and treat others as we would want them to treat us .without trying to change them , May the memory of Irena live on with all the others who showed love and compassion for others in need .

(115)
James,
July 7, 2009 4:16 AM

I can only pray for the courage and love that this woman had. She is a hero and should be remembered all throughout history.

(114)
gaby,
June 1, 2009 2:49 AM

film was no accurate

there was no mentioning of her having children, and broking arms, and she walked. adn what about her mom and her husband - what happened to them as well as her kids

(113)
michael Gillis,
April 30, 2009 10:33 AM

an amazing person

This woman was motivated only by love for her fellow human beings. She has pride of place next to her Maker in heaven. An inspiring story of courage and selflessness which should be read by thousands.

(112)
Anonymous,
April 29, 2009 8:48 PM

God Bless her and those of like mind!

(111)
Anonymous,
April 26, 2009 8:22 PM

Tracing Holocaust Survivors through the Red Cross

The Red Cross can help trace those who were affected by the atrocities of World War II (i.e. the Holocaust). If you are trying to locate family members, please contact the Red Cross chapter nearest you for more information. Please note - the Red Cross will allow you to search on behalf of a family member who is a survivor and who is still alive. But if it looks like the inquirer did not personally know the victim and is not searching on behalf of a survivor who is still alive, it is likely that the Red Cross will not accept the case. It does not cost anything for this service, and it does not always turn up any answers.

(110)
helen,
April 21, 2009 8:08 AM

teh rightous

My father, a survivor, always told me of the rightous Poles. I am glad to see that a mainstream program could relay that message, along with other messages, that not all Poland was so horrible.

(109)
Anonymous,
April 20, 2009 3:08 PM

Irena Sendler is truly an inspiration. I applaud Hallmark for sharing her story. My husband's parents are holocaust survivors and sadly are deceased. Today my husband's Uncle shared how at twelve years of age he was caught in an attempt to escape the Warsaw Ghetto and survived numerous concentration camps and was finally liberated on the death march. The first concentration camp he was in only 41 survived of the 1500 sent there.

(108)
Holly Bertrand,
April 20, 2009 2:43 PM

JEWISH CHILDREN HAD A ANGEL......

I WATCHED THE MOVIE LAST NIGHT AND READ THE ARTICLE ABOVE. AND WAS SO MOVED AT ONE WOMANS ACTIONS FOR INNOCENT JEWISH CHILDREN. AS A MOTHER OF 3 SONS I CAN NOT IMAGINE HOW THOSE MOTHERS FELT GIVING THEIR CHIDREN TO A COMPLETE STRANGER, BUT HAVE RELIZED THEY MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE. IRENA WAS A REMARKABLE LADY AND HAD HER SPOT IN HEAVEN MANY YEARS AGO! ~ HOLLY G BERTRAND ~

(107)
Sheva,
April 20, 2009 2:18 PM

More Info about Irena Sendler

You can find more info online about Irena Sendler. Google "The Irena Sendler Project" or "Life in a Jar"and you will find the website with photos, the story about the students who produce the play. You will find some info about some of the children Irena saved.

(106)
Helene,
April 20, 2009 11:59 AM

Is there a list of the children?

My grandfather's entire extended family was in the Warsaw ghetto, no one survived as far as we know. Is there a list available of children and the people who saved them? Maybe someone from my family is still alive.

(105)
Mary Gutsmeidl,
April 20, 2009 8:46 AM

Is Karolyna Rozenfeld Alive?

I was SO touched by the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie about Irena Sendler. Does anyone know if her good friends' daughter, Karolyna Rozenfeld is still alive? She was the little Jewish girl who wanted to be a ballerina. And, does anyone know if Karolyna's parents survived the Holocaust?

(104)
Himashi,
April 19, 2009 10:04 PM

I just saw the movie on Hallmark and it's amazing that one woman did so much during a horrific time. Her story is truly inspiring.

(103)
Marilyn,
April 19, 2009 9:08 PM

Irene's story amazing

I am very touched by this story. Thanks Irene. I have been married to someone that was born in a concentration camp. His mother was the only survivor of her family we believe. They were Ukraine and came to Germany. His name has been changed here in America. His mother has passed. We always wonder which camp his mother was in. Housing Jews was there crime. Ukaines were sent to starvation camps. My heart goes out to this lady for all the children that were saved. God Bless Marilyn

(102)
Frank,
April 19, 2009 8:44 PM

Irena Sendler

A remarkable story about an even more remarkable woman. I am watching the Hallmark movie about her life now and I am moved by her courage and her will to aid the Jewish children during the Nazi occupation of Poland. She was a true heroine.

(101)
Norma Fares,
April 19, 2009 7:50 PM

Thank you Jolanta!

Hope Arab countries reach a point when their people could have an access or the curiosity or the encouragement to read/know about a silent Heroine (with a big H) like Jolanta --not only for saving Jewish chlidren in tough times but for saving Humanity as a whole-- so they could understand. From my hatred-Arab-neighborhood-environement, I write those few words to thank you Jolanta. I wish I could do the third of the third of your blessed work. I thank you Irena Sendler. I thank you Aish.
May God bless you!
Lebanon

(100)
Anonymous,
April 19, 2009 4:48 PM

It WILL be on TV -- TONIGHT!

tonight, 9 pm on CBS... they're doing the Irena Sendler story...

(99)
Anonymous,
April 19, 2009 4:13 PM

Movie: The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler

This was made into a movie, "The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler," and it's first airing tonight on CBS.

(98)
ata,
April 19, 2009 1:18 PM

oh my gosh!!! what an amazing lady! i'm sure that she has a special place for her in the world to come!

(97)
Bernie Siegel, MD,
April 19, 2009 10:24 AM

we are all one family

asa a surgeon i can tell you we are all the same color inside and all one family. i hope some day we come to accept this knowing that we all have the same parents and that it is time to come together and be the family we were meant to be and see that our differences are for recognition and not separation and violence.

(96)
Anonymous,
April 19, 2009 10:22 AM

TV Movie of Mrs. Sendler's Life

The Hallmark movie, "The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler," will be shown on CBS on Sunday, April 19, 2009 at 9:00 PM.
These movies are also usually available for purchase at the Hallmark website.

(95)
Anonymous,
February 11, 2009 8:37 PM

An inspiration fact that should be promoted

I had never heard of this woman until this day. The story of Irena Sendler should be made known through out the media. Hollywood, this is an amazing woman whose story needs to be told to the nations. Let's promote the heroes of our times. Thank you, Irena for your impact on the lives of so many.

(94)
Anonymous,
January 18, 2009 7:23 PM

A valuable Role Model

Irene is a valuable ROLE model for each of us. We need to know about people with her selfless values, so that we can emulate them in meeting our own daily challenges. We need to know that we are not alone in our pursuit of care for others weaker and less fortunate than ourselves.
I wish the closing quote were not true ~ we each need to work to change that outcome. Working together we can do that, if we take care of each other as ourselves.

(93)
Meredith,
July 31, 2008 3:19 PM

If only more knew of her service and character

I have only recently learned of Mrs. Sendler, and of her death. As a mother, and teacher, I am disappointed that I had not known of this woman's life before now. When searching my heart and mind for examples of strength, love, faith, and courage- I now have Irena Sendler. For this, I am thankful. Without knowing them, I am proud of the high-school students' who helped shine a light where it was needed. I wish as many people could see their play as have attended the premier of the Batman movie.

(92)
AJ PIKE,
May 15, 2008 5:18 PM

Irena''s Children

If this ever is published as a book I certainly would want a copy. What a beautiful account. I heard on TV yesterday that Irena had died, I went back to this article expecting to find it was already in book form.
Blessings to all who endured this horrible nightmare.
AJ Pike

(91)
Cory,
May 15, 2008 10:44 AM

Although Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize, this dear lady''s reward is far greater than anything man can give her.
''What profits a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?''

(90)
Anonymous,
May 13, 2008 1:16 PM

Irena was a blessing to us all and she will never be forgotten. She was humble and self sacrificing, a true servant of God. May we all try each day to live our lives the way she always did by serving others before ourselves. I only wish she would have won the Nobel Peace Prize last year instead of Al Gore. Not that she even wanted or expected it but that she was more than deserving of it. We can never forget these true heroes of our past and our future generations need to know their stories.

(89)
Tang Tay Hwah,
May 12, 2008 11:28 PM

Rest in peace Irena.

Rest in peace Irena.

(88)
Neil Fiertel,
May 12, 2008 10:09 PM

A heroine of modesty and humility

Irena Sendler is without a doubt the most honourable and brave and moral human I have heard about in my 66 years of life. I am moved to tears by her existence and her gift to this world of ours. In my belief, one''s immortality is in the deeds in this, our life and it is like ripples in an infinite lake that move out from our lives and lap ever so slightly that distant shore and carry with it the goodness that each of us must add to this life. Each of us can take from this incredible and modest woman a tiny morsel of her extraordinary love and immense bravery and nourish ourselves and our children and in so doing perhaps we ourselves can make a tiny improvement in this world as a way of thanking Irena. I feel she would be happy if her story made others do what is right in this world. She clearly did not want attention and recognition. She is forever my heroine.

(87)
araceli,
May 12, 2008 8:05 PM

she''s an angel from God

a brave n smart lady. reading her story gives us hope that one day the world will finally have peace

(86)
jeff,
May 12, 2008 7:57 PM

to Lillian Mandel

I know your comment was a while ago but I was just reading this article and saw your comment. I checked facebook just for the fun of it and it says there is a Hannah Blachman in Israel. I don''t know if this helps, but I hope.

(85)
Anonymous,
May 12, 2008 6:51 PM

Poem about Irena Sendler

I read this beautiful poem titled "Names in a Jar" by Michael Shorb. It is about Irena Sendler and her heroic deeds.

(84)
Carin Staines,
May 12, 2008 5:08 PM

I heard Irina has died.

I heard this morning at 7 a.m. (Tuesday Eastern Australian Standard time) on the ABC News that Irina has died. Unfortunately, I cannot give any links. This lady was truly courageous.

Carin.

(83)
Janet Wray,
May 12, 2008 4:19 PM

Hero...and an aside

Most importantly, Mrs. Sendlerowa is a hero...thank you for putting your life in harm''s way to save the lives of so many of God''s children.

As an aside, to Chief and Anonymous (that says a lot!): you should brush up on your history lessons!! Poland was home to the largest Jewish population in Europe and served as a center for Jewish culture, with a long period of religious tolerance and prosperity among the country''s Jewish population.

From the 11th century, when the Kingdom of Poland was founded, through the early years of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (created in 1569), Poland was one of the most tolerant countries in Europe. For centuries Poland was unique shelter for those Jews persecuted and expelled from other European communities. Polin, as Poland is called in Yiddish, means ''Here shalt thou lodge'' in the exile from the Land of Israel. It was only in 1795, after the partitions and the destruction of Poland as a sovereign state, that Polish Jews were subject to the laws of the partitioning powers, primarily the anti-Semitic Russian Empire, and also Austro-Hungary and Prussian/German Empire. But as Poland regained its independence in the 20th century, right before WW II, it was still the center of the European Jewish world with a Jewish community of over 3 million, one of the largest in the world! So perhaps it is you who should read a history book before you speak!

(82)
Anonymous,
May 12, 2008 2:52 PM

Rest In Peace dear Irena.

(81)
Judy,
May 12, 2008 2:45 PM

Rest In Peace Irena

Rest in Peace Irena, you were a blessing in a time of hatred and death.

(80)
Mona O''Connell,
May 12, 2008 2:42 PM

thank you so much for this article. I guess the only way to explain it is that Irena Sendler was a walking miracle.

(79)
Britta,
May 12, 2008 11:04 AM

Sad...

... to hear that another witness of this horror died. She was such an adorable person. I''m always happy to know that there were people like her helping others also when the were facing the death because of staying human in such cruel times. Thank you for that, thank you for giving so many children not just their lifes but also their identities...

(78)
Felicia,
May 1, 2008 9:31 AM

wow......................................

I think that you are amazing person

(77)
Tess,
March 18, 2008 9:30 AM

Wow!

I cant believe the story i just read. I have been doing reports upon reports about when Adolf Hilter came into power and i never heard of this ladys story and i must say i've cried twice. To know that a woman can put hersalf in danger to save lives of children. You have my respect and i hope your story gets reconized more. if your still alive i would love to meet you!!!!

(76)
Anonymous,
March 9, 2008 8:08 PM

to Hemlinger

What Chief said is true; it does not reflect ignorance in any way. Why do you object to the truth? The Poles do have a long, long history of anti-semitism. Perhaps you should read a history book before you accuse someone of 'dirty commments'.

(75)
G. Helmlinger,
February 25, 2008 8:55 PM

Answering "Chief"

To "Chief", who posted a note on 12/12/2007: your comment only reflects your deep ignorance. Refrain from such dirty comments, and go face your own dirty history.

(74)
Jessi,
January 7, 2008 12:36 PM

wow

I can't believe that one woman could save that many children when she herself was wanted. I hope more people can learn about her and not just bury her in obscurity. It wasn't just Poland with camps. The interment camps in the US were lesser versions of the Nazi death camps.

(73)
Chief,
December 12, 2007 2:10 PM

Only in Poland

Of course Irena is a true hero, a woman of conviction, courage and strength. Unfortunately, for every Irena that lived in pre WWII Poland there were many others who would sell a Jew for a bottle of vodka and a loaf of bread. Only in Poland, a country with a long history of anti-semitism, could the death camps of Treblinka and others exist.

(72)
sharee,
December 5, 2007 3:05 PM

wow!!!

i am not of the jewish faith, but my grand mother and father are, my grandmother once told me she ran from the gastapo during the second world war, like jolanta she tried to help who ever she could often going to great personal peril to accomplish this, i thank god that there are people in this world who have the courage to stand up for their beliefs and not let another tread upon it!!! i have read alot about the struggle of the jews in that time and shindlers list had me in awe, i cant imagin the courage and resilliance that these people needed to complete such a task, im really glad they did. im nto glad of the attrocities that came before and after the wars break out only glad that some of those people are still alive to show that humanity has some good in it and during times of ned even the most unlily person can help the vunerable and unsure!!! thank you all for allowing us all to live in a free world!!!

(71)
Anonymous,
December 4, 2007 3:20 PM

This is totally awesome she is amazing

this is the most wonderful yet sad story ever! :)

(70)
teresa maybie,
December 4, 2007 11:21 AM

hero

she is a inspirational person and has all my respect for what she did during the holocaust

(69)
Pat Mosey,
November 25, 2007 9:52 AM

Now she is what is called a "hero"!

I, too, stumbled onto this - what an amazing story & truly inspiring.I'd like to believe we have learned from the past, but my heart tells me we haven't. We are "our brother's keepers" & I still believe in the human race! G-d bless you, Jolanta.

(68)
andy graham,
November 4, 2007 2:23 PM

awe

Each of us would like to feel we could do something similar under those circumstances. However, we would bury our heads in sand-I am in awe of Jolanta.

(67)
Trevor Pittman,
November 4, 2007 7:42 AM

Inspiring

What an incredible story. It truly is amazing that humanity can go through events like this and seemingly learn nothing. People like Jolanta deserve so much praise and applause. It is not why they did what they did, but that makes it all the more commendable. Thank you for this.

(66)
Joe Pike,
October 29, 2007 10:51 PM

Amazing

I am so glad I stumbled upon this. What a touching story. She is a true hero of this world.

(65)
Milander,
October 24, 2007 7:52 AM

Wonderful

A lovely true story, shame more of these kinds of stories aren't told more often and I don't mean just saving jews but the other untold stories that must have occured during that hateful period of history.

(64)
Anne Good,
October 23, 2007 2:04 PM

She should have gotten the Peace Prize

What a wonderful story. In my mind she would have been the absolute winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. I can't imagine that Al Gore has experienced any of life's horrors, and sacrificed nothing towards the goal of peace as compared to this lady. God bless her - I'm sure He will.

(63)
Karli,
October 18, 2007 11:17 PM

And Al Gore won the NP????

Her story brings tears to my eyes. This is the kind of person that would do it all over again if she had to without thinking twice. She didn't do this to gain political or social standing, she did it becuase it was the right thing to do. I can't get over the fact that a woman like this, that did SO much came in behind Al Gore.....Dont get me started on him!

(62)
Anonymous,
October 17, 2007 11:14 PM

54 years later and the horrors of the Nazi incursions into Europe are still with us!

(61)
Ben Matti and wife,
October 14, 2007 6:02 AM

A wonderful person, an amazing story!

This is a very touching and wonderful story. Has a film been made about this great hero of WW2? My husband remembers to have seen one, director was Andrew Wadja. He does not remember it very clearly.If there is not a film about her, there should be. And she really would deserve the Nobel Peace Prize, and a great recognition for her wonderful mission of saving children from the Holocaust!The world needs more people like her, but there are so few!

(60)
ariella,
October 9, 2007 7:39 PM

amazing

Although im only a child, my father sent me this link. I sat here for about five minutes staring at her picture and iv never imagined someone so devoted to good! Its completly unbelievable! Its amazing and unpredictable! May she live a long and happy life!

(59)
Stef,
October 6, 2007 10:53 PM

The statement that many Poles sided with the Nazis really has no place in this article.

Statements such as these can't be supported and all they do is breed hatred as one commentator expressed in general against Poles he knows nothing about. There were more Polish heroes no one heard about - not because the Communist government was anti-Semitic, but because they were against the Polish citizens of all backgrounds who rejected them. The Communists sought to downplay the heroism of the Poles and to undermine the Polish image. The communist government used any tactic to diminish support for a free Poland and one tactic was to paint or portray Poles as anti-Semitic and downplay any positive things that were done by Poles. Unfortunately, our media swallowed whatever the Soviets said because they did so much to defeat Nazi Germany and their crimes were forgotten and overlooked. Now that Poland is free you are finding things out like what Irena Sendler did. Find out about Henry Slawik, as well. Pope John Paul II did so much for Catholic-Jewish relations and he was Polish- a product of Polish Catholicism, he was elevated and loved by Polish Catholics. Why the casually unnecessarily hurtful and not necessarily true stereotypical comments about Poles.

(58)
Judith Sophia Kallenbach,
October 2, 2007 6:48 AM

Irina Sendler was a wonderful person!!!!!!!

She was a very great person. I am a grandchild of a murder and I am very very sad about it...Unfortunately the most of the people were not in resistance during 1933-1945.And now it is the same, it is going more and more bad in Germany!!!!!!!The most of the people, not only in Germany, do not like the fight in opposition to the right parties in their countries.It`s to bad!!!!!!!But what can one do?

(57)
Ariella,
October 1, 2007 3:20 PM

Simply incredible

When you think what people have done for others during the holocaust you simply think that maybe it was a good deed nothing more. However when you hear about this one lady who risked everything for these children you think of it as being incredible. She wasn't Jewish but she wanted help us and that in itself is incredible but then when she was dicovered she still didn't say a word. Even though she carries those injuries today and she was beaten she didn't reveal one thing it can't get more amazing than that. I have only one concern which is why she is having regrets about not doing enough she did a fantastic thing to the extent where it couldn't be possible for her do more. Infact if she thinks she could of done more than I would want to know what. She is a great human. I don't know she saved that many children but she needs to realise for every child she saved she saved generations worth of children.

(56)
hadassa,
September 29, 2007 8:24 AM

Irena Sendler is a saint.

By saving 2,500 Jewish children from almost certain death, Irena Sendler has given us the gift of many times that number of Jewish souls, in the form of those children's children and grandchildren. This, despite being unable to locate about 500 of those whom she rescued. It required unimaginable courage to protect the identities of the children and the heroic families sheltering them, from the German beasts who would stop at nothing in their efforts to slaughter all of Europe's Jews. Irena Sendler, you transcend in grace and humanity, many of those who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. To suffer such torture, yet not betray your "children" and their protectors, shows unbelievable heroism, and is the highest respect you could have shown to your wonderful father, may his soul rest in peace. And may G-d bless you with long and happy years. I kiss your hand.

(55)
Maralyn,
September 26, 2007 12:45 AM

Irena Sendler-A Brave, brave woman

What Mrs. Sendler did, in saving so many children during WW11, was a real mitzvah. Not many others, neither man or woman, had the heart, nerves, and intelligence to do this. Many others in Poland didn't like Jews & didn't care. I wish there were more people like her then and now. There are 100's of old Jews in Russia, rotting away, not getting the pensions they deserve & living in squalor. There are Jews in Iran, Iraq and other hate filled countries that make life miserable for their Jews. Mrs. Sendler is an amazing woman; I wish I could meet her in personn.

(54)
nurit cohen,
September 24, 2007 10:17 AM

I hope that this wonderfull lady is being honored in the YAD VASHEM in Israel as one of the "CHASIDAY- HA-UMAH".

(53)
Clara- Mare Pienaar,
September 24, 2007 5:48 AM

How brave is this woman

Thank you for your love for children. I hope you wrote a book to save for the new generations.

(52)
ELISSA Grunwald,
September 23, 2007 9:28 PM

Thank You Irene Sendler

Your brave humanitarian instincts during a time of such evil are applauded and will always be remembered. Thank You. From one grandmother who was born in a displased persons camp in Cyprus, and another who survived the Auschwitz death camps have come so many beautiful children and grandchildren. Is a shame Ahamenijahd will not look to recognize fact and makes a mockery of human suffering.

(51)
Paul Blauer,
September 22, 2007 11:11 AM

Thank you for your work. I thought I had enough

You and others like you have rekindled my passion for learning more about the holocaust and related events. This summer my wife and I visited the Holocaust Museum in DC, and I went in figuring to be bored, thinking I was inured to all of this when I was young, but I realized I never really will be. This woman's history is a wonderful story of that terrible time. Thanks again.

(50)
Amitava Chattopadhyay,
September 21, 2007 6:09 AM

No honour can be great enough to show our respect to this wonderful lady.

I cannot express my deep respect properly for her.To my opinion she is the angel whom God sent during the hour of need.Because of people like her, one can have faith on Almighty and hence on humanity. I cannot show respect to her but the greatest reverence.Now we need such wonderful persons who can change the world from our sorrowful state.

Amitava West BengalIndia

(49)
ashleigh,
September 19, 2007 9:12 PM

great story

my sister was doing a report on the holocaust and i became interested as i read what mt mom printed off the internet when she was done i got on and done research of my own i ran across this article and it inspired me mainly because im an american child whose parents where in the army and was born in germany also because i love kids this is a great story!

(48)
Kayla,
September 14, 2007 11:29 AM

Irena is absolutely amazing! She is a hero! And I hope that those missing children are ok, but Irena deserves more honor than anyone can imagine!

(47)
Renee,
September 11, 2007 9:02 PM

I wonder whether some of the children Irena saved were nieces and nephews of my Mother. Reading about this wonderful person, brought tears to my eyes. If only everyone would have been like she is, there would have been no Holocaust. Is there any way I can find out the names of the children still missing? I would appreciate a reply. I know that my Mother's family were murdered in Treblinka and they had many young children. Could it be possible that maybe one or more could have been saved? We've often wondered that.

(46)
Lillian Mandel,
September 8, 2007 10:17 AM

Need some infomation regarding my mother's sister who was in the Warsaw Ghetto

This is the first time I have heard about this wonderful woman. My mother's sister and parents were put in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1939. My mother and her brother escaped to USA and was hoping to bring the parents and sister later. They all had papers to enter the country USA. I thought everyone parished not knowing she helped the children escaped. Is is possible to get the names to see if she was on the list. The parents died my mother found out but no word about the sister. Her name was Hannah Blachman and was from Gera, Germany with Polish passport because the parents were born in Poland.Hope someone will respond to me. Thank you.

(45)
Joe,
September 6, 2007 11:56 PM

Unbelievable. Most of us like to believe that if we were in a similar situation, we would act in the same manner. The fact is the vast majority of us would not. It has been said that only for the merit of a handful of truly rightous individuals, God sustains the entire world. I dont know if that is true, but I do know that men and women like Irene are the only reason I have any hope whatsoever for our species. It is to our great shame that we idolize and revere Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, and ignore the unfathomable strength and sacrifice of heroines and heroes such as these.

(44)
Harry Goldman,
September 5, 2007 10:52 PM

There were many Christian Europeans in various Countries who aided the Jews at the risk of their own lives. I was evacuated in Britain with some of these children.

(43)
Greg,
September 5, 2007 2:05 AM

"Good on her"

The Nobel peace prize is too insufficient a reward for her and all her collegues who did this wonderful thing, however since it is so respected, then award it and may the world take notice and learn. I also believe that a post humous award should be given to her parents esp, her father who taught her well and left a wonderful legacy

(42)
ALEGRA,
September 2, 2007 10:42 AM

Of couse she diserves the Peace Nobel Prize .

Of couse she diserves the Nobel Peace Prize, also we should know more about all what she did with these children, maybe a movie picture, or a documentary, visits to schools around the worls so that our children know about this heroine woman,and take advantage that she is alive.

(41)
Debi R.,
September 1, 2007 2:27 PM

More should know of her

Her story should be in the history books that are taught in the schools!

(40)
Debi R.,
September 1, 2007 2:11 PM

She deserves the Nobel Peace Prize!

This is a well-written and wonderfully heartwarming story of courage and tenacity. This woman gets my deepest praise!

(39)
rosenberg nelly,
August 28, 2007 10:07 AM

It is absolutely so moving to read the story of this extraordinary woman..god bless her and I hope she does receive the nobel price. Nelly

(38)
sandra bugay,
August 27, 2007 4:04 PM

Every now and then the world is blessedwith someone whose life proves that wehave been created in G-d's image.

(37)
Rosemary Wilson,
August 27, 2007 11:26 AM

Visited Poland recently and saw the death camps. Want to support Israel in the future

(36)
wayne soowal,
August 22, 2007 6:27 PM

This lady deserves the highest award that the country can offer for her diligent effort to save the children

(35)
ralph,
August 21, 2007 12:08 PM

The HEART of a LION!

If I could have only an ounce of her courage I would be eterally gratful!

(34)
Anonymous,
August 19, 2007 2:35 AM

I believe that Irena Sendler is the bravest woman I have ever heard of.

(33)
Beverly Kurtin, Ph.D.,
August 17, 2007 4:25 PM

Children of the Jar

If a movie is ever made, I propose its title be "Children of the Jar."

What a beautiful woman Irena is. The love of HaShem beams from her face. Her love for the Jew has been rewarded with a long life. Look at that face! It must be that of angel.

I seethe with anger and hatred towards the Pole who so cowardly turned their backs on their neighbors who were Jewish. They wanted them gone so they could steal what they could. So it has been throughout history. Welcome the Jews, permit them to prosper, then get rid of them so their wealth can be stolen from them.

Of course, there were many more Jews who were poor. Why the world doesn't understand that we have the just as much poverty as any group of people is beyond my way of thinking.

Of course there is the old Jew-hating bit about all Jews being rich. When I was homeless and out on the streets myself a former "friend" of mine say, "You can't be homeless and broke, Jews are rich."

In any event, I know that many Christians took their own lives in their hands by hiding Jews of all ages and for that I am eternally grateful. If my grandparents hadn't had the foresight to see and understand what was coming, I'd have been one of the children that might have needed rescuing from Irena.

HaShem has blessed her with a long life; her name should go down in history as a saint. If anyone deserves the Peace Prize, it is she.

(32)
Ahuva Malka,
August 17, 2007 1:22 PM

WOW

This woman should be honored. Hollywood is so busy with crass remakes of old movies that people like this are ignored. We should be watching stories like hers on television instead of the non-stop flow of blow by blow information of spoiled rich girls who are wasting their lives and our time!

(31)
John Banaynal,
August 17, 2007 1:32 AM

living heroine

Thank you for featuring Irena - Jolanta. This is a really moving story of a living heroine. God Bless her, the children she saved, and the whole Jewish nation worldwide!

(30)
alan,
August 16, 2007 7:46 PM

saint and....

the woman should be "sainted" by the church. honestly, as great as she is, may G-d bless her, the answer to today's islamo-nazis is to destroy them. they do not and will not understand "kindness and tolerance". would the nazis ever understand it? no.'neither will the nazis of today: the islamists, who, by the way, admire what the nazis did. arafat's uncle husseini was the british-appointed mufti of jerusalem who was buddies with the leader of the nazis. although this piece is very important, don't let it cloud your vision of what is needed today to save israel and the world from the current islamo-nazi threat.

(29)
Jeri Carter,
August 16, 2007 3:30 PM

What A Wonderful Lady

May the G-D of ISRAEL BLESS HER IN THE WORLD TO COME WITH THE LOVE OF ALL THE CHILDRED THAT SHE SAVED, WONDERFUL STORY

(28)
Anonymous,
August 16, 2007 10:55 AM

You don't look it...

Is Sendler a Polish name? Sounds like a pure Jewish one to me. Bet this great lady has some Jewish blood.

(27)
Joy Krauthammer,
August 15, 2007 11:02 PM

What an amazing human being--Irena Sendler, "Jolanta", a great heroine with huge courage. I am forwarding this magnificent story to others.In awe,Joy KrauthammerLA

(26)
Rivka Chaya Avraham,
August 14, 2007 3:36 PM

Please say,thank you

Mrs. Sendler, There are no words to describe what a hero you are. If I had been born just a few years earlier in my grandfather's native land,it might have been me you wouod have rescuing. Thank you for standing up against a great evil in the world,and saying,NO. You're heroism is a testament to all of us. I wish you G-D speed.

Kindest Regards,Rivka C. Avraham

(25)
A. FRANGOS,
August 14, 2007 7:18 AM

SHE'S A HERO......

IRENA SHOWED GREAT COURAGE DURING A HORRIFIC TIME IN HISTORY....HER NAME NEEDS TO BE IN HISTORY BOOKS....GOD HAS SURELY BLESSED HER AND THE CHILDREN SHE SAVED....IRENA IS AN ANGEL/SAINT.....

(24)
Chaya,
August 13, 2007 5:51 PM

what a beauty!!!

thank you, Irena :))

(23)
Anonymous,
August 13, 2007 5:02 PM

How do you thank someone like this?

How do you thank someone like Mrs. Sendler. She restores your faith in humanity. She risked her life to save others & was tortured for it.Is there someway of contacting her to say thank you?

(22)
Harvey Denhoff,
August 13, 2007 3:17 PM

My wife's name is Iris Sendler

Very interesting...

(21)
David,
August 13, 2007 2:54 PM

A true hero

May she have every blessing. If we hold close her example, she will save thousands more.

(20)
Laurie Erickson,
August 13, 2007 1:57 PM

No words can describe the DEVINE MIRACLE that this woman is / was !

This is one of the most wonderfully powerful stories I have EVER read! I praise this woman for her courage, love, fearlessness, and selfless-ness to save these children and help all others in their time of desperate need!God, thank you for sending the world this wonderful angel.

(19)
Anonymous,
August 13, 2007 10:30 AM

wow amazing story!!! and mrs.sendler is a real hero!!!

(18)
sjhepner,
August 13, 2007 8:24 AM

MIIRACLES OCCUR...

lATELY, I HEARD DISTURBING STORIES OF BETRAYAL IN POLAND AND WAS VERY UPSET... THIS STORY AND THE POLES WHO HELPED MRS. SENDER..SHOULD BE THANKED AND IMMEMORIALISED.. PERHAPS IN POLAND AND ISRAEL...BY SOME KIND OF MONUMENT..!!???

(17)
Greta Brewer,
August 13, 2007 7:47 AM

Holocaust related films

I am vice president of Education of NEXT GENERATIONS< Boca Raton chapter

(16)
Anonymous,
August 13, 2007 3:20 AM

an example needed today

Any possibility to translate the book in Italian? I think that spreading knowledge of a story like this is the best and most to counteract the antisemitism today

(15)
Hannah,
August 13, 2007 1:53 AM

Amazing!

There should be a biography written on her life, at least.

(14)
JOSEPHINE LEVI,
August 13, 2007 12:05 AM

an angel

what a wonderful story it made me cry she really is an angel whatever she was given could never pay for what she has done they should make a film of her may g-d keep her safe

(13)
Virginia Schmidt,
August 12, 2007 11:35 PM

Wonderful story

Mrs. Sendler is a hero. It's too bad such an atrocity had to occur and her heroism necessary. The people of our world need to take the time to look at the past and not history repeat itself, again.

(12)
Anonymous,
August 12, 2007 8:02 PM

Wow!

Wow- thank you so much for telling us about this great heroine. I don't know what words to say.

(11)
sybil bernfeld,
August 12, 2007 6:39 PM

UNBELIEVABLY WONDERFUL WOMAN;bless her soul

actions speak louder than words...a magnificent story about a sensational lady..xx sybil=== the world should know more her.............

(10)
Chavah,
August 12, 2007 6:21 PM

truly a righteous woman

I regret that this is the first time learning about this remarkable,brave woman. I am moved to tears in reading how she risked her lives several times and endured tremendous strength in order to save the lives of Jewish children. Though it is horribly sad that many were lost to the Jewish people, Irena Sendler saved their lives- and who knows- hopefully G-d willing the children that she saved will one day realize who they truly are as Jews and will return to their people once again.It also saddens me that her story and her remarkable heroism has gone virtually unrecognized by the world. I hope she wins the Nobel Peace Prize and that every child learns her story, and are inspired to become better people because of it.May G-d bless this true saint and give her only peace, happiness, and abundant reward and let her story continue to inspire to bring love, courage and strength to all humanity

(9)
connie,
August 12, 2007 4:10 PM

awesome story

You can look at her face now and see the blessing of the Lord upon it. There are few in the world who are brave in the valley of the shadow of death.I hope and pray if and when the time comes i can do what is right even tho i know what harrow could happen to me because of it. God said he would bless those that bless the Jew and curse those that curse them. May God bless her with eternal life in heaven.

(8)
Larry,
August 12, 2007 3:29 PM

Larry I never know so few Christians tried to do

so much.

(7)
Miri,
August 12, 2007 2:12 PM

An Awesome Lady!

God Bless you, Ms. Sendler! You are woman who is beyond brave, a true heroine. May you be remembered for your lifesaving work for all time!G-d Bless you!!

(6)
Irving Gerber,
August 12, 2007 1:43 PM

incredible story about an incredible woman

a must read and pass along

(5)
Yitzchak,
August 12, 2007 12:10 PM

AMAZING

Two things are amazing.First that she rescued so many children.Second, that this story never appeared before.

She is one outstanding lady !

(4)
Bobbie,
August 12, 2007 11:28 AM

She certainly is a Righteous Gentile

I'm familiar with Holocaust stories but never heard of her. Wonderful that she finally has recognition.With all that she did, once again there were so many children alive, but lost forever because of the church's interference

(3)
Helen,
August 12, 2007 11:07 AM

Great work of Jolanta

I am very happy to read this unique story about Jolantas life saving project in Warsaw. To save one jew is to save the world. What she did was marvellous!

(2)
esti dan-gur,
August 12, 2007 10:28 AM

Will Irena be awarded the Nobel prize?

Thank you for telling this amazing story.

(1)
Oludare,
August 12, 2007 9:59 AM

The prove of God's kind of love.

This story is one that should spread across all ages.It teaches love and passion for humanity,above all it proves the existences of God and the power of His love towards humanity.Never doubt it,God will stop at nothing to prove His love for humanity and He can use any one that is available.

I've been striving to get more into spirituality. But it seems that every time I make some progress, I find myself slipping right back to where I started. I'm getting discouraged and feel like a failure. Can you help?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Spiritual slumps are a natural part of spiritual growth. There is a cycle that people go through when at times they feel closer to God and at times more distant. In the words of the Kabbalists, it is "two steps forward and one step back." So although you feel you are slipping, know that this is a natural process. The main thing is to look at your overall progress (over months or years) and be able to see how far you've come!

This is actually God's ingenious way of motivating us further. The sages compare this to teaching a baby how to walk. When the parent is holding on, the baby shrieks with delight and is under the illusion that he knows how to walk. Yet suddenly, when the parent lets go, the child panics, wobbles and may even fall.

At such times when we feel spiritually "down," that is often because God is letting go, giving us the great gift of independence. In some ways, these are the times when we can actually grow the most. For if we can move ourselves just a little bit forward, we truly acquire a level of sanctity that is ours forever.

Here is a practical tool to help pull you out of the doldrums. The Sefer HaChinuch speaks about a great principle in spiritual growth: "The external awakens the internal." This means that although we may not experience immediate feelings of closeness to God, eventually, by continuing to conduct ourselves in such a manner, this physical behavior will have an impact on our spiritual selves and will help us succeed. (A similar idea is discussed by psychologists who say: "Smile and you will feel happy.")

That is the power of Torah commandments. Even if we may not feel like giving charity or praying at this particular moment, by having a "mitzvah" obligation to do so, we are in a framework to become inspired. At that point we can infuse that act of charity or prayer with all the meaning and lift it can provide. But if we'd wait until being inspired, we might be waiting a very long time.

May the Almighty bless you with the clarity to see your progress, and may you do so with joy.

In 1940, a boatload 1,600 Jewish immigrants fleeing Hitler's ovens was denied entry into the port of Haifa; the British deported them to the island of Mauritius. At the time, the British had acceded to Arab demands and restricted Jewish immigration into Palestine. The urgent plight of European Jewry generated an "illegal" immigration movement, but the British were vigilant in denying entry. Some ships, such as the Struma, sunk and their hundreds of passengers killed.

If you seize too much, you are left with nothing. If you take less, you may retain it (Rosh Hashanah 4b).

Sometimes our appetites are insatiable; more accurately, we act as though they were insatiable. The Midrash states that a person may never be satisfied. "If he has one hundred, he wants two hundred. If he gets two hundred, he wants four hundred" (Koheles Rabbah 1:34). How often have we seen people whose insatiable desire for material wealth resulted in their losing everything, much like the gambler whose constant urge to win results in total loss.

People's bodies are finite, and their actual needs are limited. The endless pursuit for more wealth than they can use is nothing more than an elusive belief that they can live forever (Psalms 49:10).

The one part of us which is indeed infinite is our neshamah (soul), which, being of Divine origin, can crave and achieve infinity and eternity, and such craving is characteristic of spiritual growth.

How strange that we tend to give the body much more than it can possibly handle, and the neshamah so much less than it needs!